Paper-feeding device for printing presses



Qer. 9, 19231.A 1,470,588- C. M. KIRKLAND PAPER FEEDING DEVICE FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed Feb. 23, 1922 l BY , A M WNEY lll Patented Oct. 9, 1923.

UNITED STATES Partnr4 caries.

CARROLL M. KIRKLAND, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTN, ASSIGNOR TO MLLER SAW TRIMMER COIlPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

PAPER-FEEDING- DEVICE FOR PRINTING PRESSES.

Application filed February23, 1922. Serial No, 538,472.

To all wlw/nt it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARROLL M. KIRK- LAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and' placed or wrinkled when encountering theV With these ends in view and others as will appear 'in the following specification, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

ln the accompanying drawings,-

Figure 1 is a plan view of portions of a` job-printing press with devices embodying my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of Fig. 1, with parts broken away to better disclose the feed bar operating mechanism. Fig. 3 is a detail sec tional view through 3-3 of Figpl. Fig. 4: is a plan view of tracker attachment shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3, with the reciprocatory parts therein occupying the position which they assume in the retractile movements of the same with respect to the platen.

As illustrated in the drawings, and 101L designates the side members ofthe frame of a printing press which may bel of any usual or suitable construction. This frame is provided between said members with a table 11 upon which is supported a supply of paper, and 12 is the platen to receive the paper to be printed.

Above the table 11 in said frame members are mounted oscillating blocks 13, 13 which are provided with guide-ways for the side bars 141, 14: of a horizontally reciprocating vstrokes of the bail.

frame, conventionally known asthe bail and provided at their forward ends with a transverse tie bar 15. vSaid bail carries upon its bar element 15 paper grippers 16 of usual construction which are engageable with the paper 17 upon the table' 11 and by which sheets of paper are transferred from said table to the platen in the successive forward As illustrated, the bail is reriprocated in substantially a horizontal direction by means of spur gears 18 en a rocker shaft 19 engaging rack teeth 141 provided o-n the bail members 1e. rlhe shaft 1S) is journaled in bearings provided in the frame members 10, 101, said shaft having mounted thereon a spur pinion 20 in mesh with gear teeth 21 provided upon a segment 22 which` is arranged for substantially vertical loscillatory movements about a pivot shaft 23. y

` The up and down movements of the segment 22 is attained byl means of a stud 24 projecting from the segment 22 into a cam groove, such as indicated by dotted lines 251 in F ig. 2, of cam 25 mounted upon a shaft 26 which is continuously rotated during the operation of the press as by means of a power driven spur gear 27 driving a gear 28 provided upon the cam shaft 26.

Secured to the bail bar 15 is a plurality of grippers, indicated generally by 16, which serves to engage by suction, or otherwise, sheets 'of paper adjacent to their forward edges to convey the same successively Lfiom the table 11 onto the platen until the paper encounters positioning stops 30 providedr onthe platen,` which stops arrest the travel. of the paper while the grippers are carried with the baily for short distance beyond said stops. 4

At or about thefend of its forward travel the blocks 13 are affected to raise the front end of the bail, see Fig. 5, and.in which elevated position the bail is returned to receive the 'next 'sheet of paper.

All of the above mentioned parts are or may be with respect to their construction, arrangement and manner of operation similar t0 what are now employed in the feed mechanism of well konwn types of Liob printing presses. y

The principal objection to the above de' scribed feeding mechanism is due to the arresting of the travel of the paper sheets by the stops 30 prior to the paper being -arrow in ltig. 3.

released from the grippers whereby the inertia of the paper and the drag, so to speak, of the grippers sub-sequent `to the stopping ot the paper acts to cause the latter to become wrinkled or bulged, which is not lconducive to good printing.

My invention serves to overcome the objection to wrinkling above reterred to by the provision of trackers depending trom the bail bar l5 so as to follow thegrippers in the paper feeding movements ,thereof and act to prevent or eliminate wrinkling of the 4paper when deposited upon the platen in position to be printed. y

Each or" said trackers consists of a linger 32 which is desirably made extensible by theprovision of a screw threaded stem 33 taking in a threaded socket ot a complementary element 34C.

A lock nut 35 may advantageously be Aemployed on the stem 33 in juxtaposition with the end ot the part 3d to secure the tracker parts in adjusted relations with respect to each other.

The lower extremity oi said sternv is preferably formed to provide a relatively large foot 36 of a rounded or semi-globular shape to enable the same to travei over paper without injury thereto.

The upper portion ot' the" tracker` `part 34 extends into a vertical slot 37 ailorded between two lugs 3S providcdat the rear 'side ot a bracket block 39 having at its gt'ront side a horizontal slot 40 to receive the bail bar l5 and to which the bracket block is rigidly secured as by means of a clamping screw el.

A tracker, furthermore, is pivotally connected to the associated block 39 by means of a pin 42 engaging in the ybracket lugs 33.

This pin is located at a short distance below the upper end of the .tracker part 34 to provide an arm 341 which .is arranged to engage against the block between the lugs 33 to limit the rearward swing of the tracker when traveling forward with or upon the paper as indicated by direction toot 36 ofthe tracker serves to hold down Aupon the platen the sheet of `paper being wrinkles at or near the front. edge o'l theA paper.

When thus traveling the lsaid platen for arresting the paper at a printing position .on the platen, ot trackers depending trom said bail and arranged to press downwardly upon each sheet ot paper after the same has engaged said stops.

2. In a printing-press, the combination `with the work-feeding bail and the gripper devices thereon, of means depending tron. said bail and adapted to bear downwardly upon the work after said gripper devices have lett the same.

3. in a printing-press, the combination with the work-feeding bail and the gripper devices thereon, of gravity actuated means carried by said work-feeding bail and adapted to .bear downwardly upon the work after said gripper devices have left the same.

In a printing-press, the work-feeding mechanism including a reciprocating bail and paper-grippers provided thereon for conveying successive sheets of paper into printing position on the press, of brackets attached to said bail, and finger devices de` pending from the respective brackets and pivotaily connected thereto for oscillatory n'soveinents said fingers being` extensibly adjustable.

In a printing-press, work-feeding -mechanism having a 'bail arranged for substantially horizontal reciprocatory travel, said bail being provided at its front end with a transverse bar member, work grippers connected to said bar member for conveying sheets of paper successively to the printing position therefor on the press, a plurality of brackets connected to said bar member. a work engaging 'inger connected by pivot pins to the/respective brackets and depending therefrom. and means to limit the swinging movements ot saidfngers with respect to said grippers.

Signed at Seattle, lVashington, this 11th day ot February, 1922.

CARROLL M. KIRKLAND. Witnesses v PIERRE BARNES, MARGARET G. SUPPLE. 

